South of Toledo along the Maumee River, a pair of towns preserve important parts of western Ohio’s early history. On the west bank of the river, Maumee (pop. 15,237; MAH-mee) was founded in 1817 at the western edge of settled territory, and holds remnants of the Miami and Erie Canal.
Across the river, Perrysburg (pop. 16,945) is a pretty little town of white colonial-style houses, with a nice waterfront park and a short strip of restaurants and bars running east along Louisiana Street (US-20). A mile upstream from town, past the cemetery and a set of expensive-looking tract houses, Fort Meigs (Wed.–Sun. in summer; $4) is a full-scale reconstruction of the wooden fortress that played a key role in defending the frontier against British and Indian attack during the War of 1812.
